Easy-to-use controller that'll make your recording system a breeze to run.

The Mackie Big Knob Studio Command System is a simple yet powerful desktop audio control center. It lets musicians and engineers get right to the business of making music in 4 major ways: level control, studio monitor selection, input source selection, and talkback and headphone control.

Precise Level Control

Using a big, convenient volume knob, Big Knob lets you adjust volume levels the way our ancient audio ancestors did, with a simple, intuitive knob, not with a mouse and screen. The end result is greater precision and faster level adjustments.

Monitor Selection

When it comes to mixing, pros know it's best to get a second, and third, opinion. So Big Knob lets you quickly switch among 3 pairs of studio monitors, 2 studio monitors and a subwoofer, or studio monitors and a home stereo, or any other combination of powered speakers.

Source Selection

On the input side, Big Knob lets you connect up to 4 stereo input sources at once. This means you can simultaneously connect to your computer/DAW outputs, CD player, cassette deck, and even a turntable using the premium onboard RIAA preamp. You can even connect keyboards, guitars, drum machines, samplers - anything you'd like to hear - through your monitors. This makes Big Knob great for comparing your mixes-in-progress to your favorite CDs, for archiving your old LPs, jamming along to your favorite tune, and lots more.

Talkback Section and Headphone Control

With its built-in talkback mic and spring-loaded activation switches, Big Knob lets you quickly communicate with musicians in both the studio and tracking room - no more hand signals through the glass! Big Knob also sports 2 high-powered headphone outputs with a discrete headphone mix bus, solving the communications needs of most computer-based studios.

All the Right Connections

Although its shiny silver knob is a head-turning feature, Big Knob's rear panel is equally impressive. There you'll find 3 distinct Monitor outputs with individual level control, 2-Track A and 2-Track B stereo outputs with level selection switches, a DAW stereo output for your computer, a Studio output with level control, a Phones Mix input with level selection switch, 2-Track A and 2-Track B Stereo Source inputs with level control, a DAW Mix input from your computer with level control, and even a Phono input with level control for direct connection to your turntable.

Sound Quality

Because Big Knob plays a crucial link between recording output(s) and studio monitors, Mackie has placed the utmost importance on pristine, no-compromise sound quality. For this reason, Big Knob features ultra low-noise op amps, extremely low-tolerance components and state-of-the-art surface mount technology. All of this ensures superb sound in critical listening environments and long-term reliability - even under daily, and nightly, studio use.

Applications

Big Knob is perfectly suited to a range of applications beyond desktop music making, including home stereo systems, keyboard/guitar rigs, high-end multimedia systems, archiving LPs to CD, classrooms and boardrooms, and more.

Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling
and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a
complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.

Gold Coverage Includes:

Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks

Normal wear and tear

Power surges

Dust, internal heat and humidity

Other plan features include:

For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks)

For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Musician's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax.

I use the Mackie Big Knob between my main monitor outs of my DAW (E-MU 1820M) and a combination of small powered studio monitors (PM5s), a Hi/Fi amp/large speaker combo...Read complete review

I use the Mackie Big Knob between my main monitor outs of my DAW (E-MU 1820M) and a combination of small powered studio monitors (PM5s), a Hi/Fi amp/large speaker combo and a small set of chepie speakers for comparisons.Seems like it's built to last (one piece of info that wasn't readily apparent - the knobs are not plastic as one might guess looking at the picture, but appear to be cast aluminum. A big plus in the quality/durability dept)Lots of i/o (but never enough ;)The 2 built in h/p amps with separate h/p buss is a nice addition to the studio (saves me from having to buy a headphone amp to expand the single out on the 1820).I was using a patch panel to reconfigure i/o for the studio, but having the Big Knob makes things MUCH easier and more convenient. Being able to switch monitors on the fly - or run simul - makes A/Bing much more effective. Not to mention the big convenient volume knob (How did I live with out that?) Man was not meant to control volume with a mouse! And since my DAW consists of 2 computers I can now monitor both on the same set of monitors without tying up i/o on the DAW (unlike some of the competition, the Mackie allows monitoring from multiple sources simultaneously) I'm lovin' it and I'm only using half its capabilities at this point. The only way I can really mark it down is that it doesn't do surround (but then neither does anything else for less than 3x the price)If you don?t already have ? or plan on getting -- a mixer with an extensive monitoring section, Get it, you?ll wonder how you got along without it.

VS

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This unit has plenty of good features and is insanely easy to use. A couple of drawbacks: All 1/4" ins & outs. No XLR's. The sound is not completely...Read complete review

This unit has plenty of good features and is insanely easy to use. A couple of drawbacks: All 1/4" ins & outs. No XLR's. The sound is not completely accurate but is still not bad. In this price range I'm not aware of anything better.

I use the Mackie Big Knob between my main monitor outs of my DAW (E-MU 1820M) and a combination of small powered studio monitors (PM5s), a Hi/Fi amp/large speaker combo and a small set of chepie speakers for comparisons.Seems like it's built to last (one piece of info that wasn't readily apparent - the knobs are not plastic as one might guess looking at the picture, but appear to be cast aluminum. A big plus in the quality/durability dept)Lots of i/o (but never enough ;)The 2 built in h/p amps with separate h/p buss is a nice addition to the studio (saves me from having to buy a headphone amp to expand the single out on the 1820).I was using a patch panel to reconfigure i/o for the studio, but having the Big Knob makes things MUCH easier and more convenient. Being able to switch monitors on the fly - or run simul - makes A/Bing much more effective. Not to mention the big convenient volume knob (How did I live with out that?) Man was not meant to control volume with a mouse! And since my DAW consists of 2 computers I can now monitor both on the same set of monitors without tying up i/o on the DAW (unlike some of the competition, the Mackie allows monitoring from multiple sources simultaneously) I'm lovin' it and I'm only using half its capabilities at this point. The only way I can really mark it down is that it doesn't do surround (but then neither does anything else for less than 3x the price)If you don?t already have ? or plan on getting -- a mixer with an extensive monitoring section, Get it, you?ll wonder how you got along without it.

I am an amateur producer but every professional built studio that I have walked into had the big knob. I heard a lot of great things about it and decided to purchase it too use in my studio for years to come. The thing is perfect. It makes everything so much easier to control. Volume, monitor selection, headphone output and control. My favorite part is talk back allowing me to talk back to the vocalist in the vocal booth and give him input. It's extremely easy to set up as well. I definitely recommend this.

This unit has plenty of good features and is insanely easy to use. A couple of drawbacks: All 1/4" ins & outs. No XLR's. The sound is not completely accurate but is still not bad. In this price range I'm not aware of anything better.

Metal construction (accpeting the push buttons/rear gain knobs). This is one of those utility units that many (me included) may hesitate to spend the money on, but will likely find it worth the tag. It's more than a handy afterthought, I use it everyday. Very little degrade or color, not signifigant enough to present a real impact on mix and monitor to my ears. Unity seems spot on, or close enough not to matter. With A/B, I can't quite place it in the spectrum, maybe a tiny mid bump(?) Typical Mackie or maybe it's my interface/gear. Either way, with a couple quick gain tweaks, it has not effected my mixes or generated fatigue in two months of heavy use. It's a workhorse filling in an elusive puzzle piece for DAW project studios in a compact package, with extras for the creative engineer. Talkback, with level and two seperate sources is great...I mean great to have. Looks nice on the desk too, you can't escape tapping into the conversational humor of the name, everyone does eventually. Overall I'm happy, there is little not to like here.

One of the best peices of equipment I have ever bought. I have owned it for over 5 years now and it still works like a charm. I would recommend this to all types of engineers and all levels.

The only problem I have with it, is its hard to place in a good spot on your desk with all the other equipment around.I love the fact that I can hook up multiple monitors to really get a good feel for the different uses my mixes will go through, or I can use them all at once to really hear a loud mix.

I love the dim button incase a phone rings or to hear someone talking without effecting the volume you were previously mixing at.

Love having the talkback/pedal option instead of using hand signals from the window.The entire case and all knobs are made of metal, so its heavy duty. Paint hasnt chipped or scratched since I bought it.

I use it all the time, and it works with my systemI use this unit everyday without even thinking about it. I have found it really helps with my workflow and makes it easy for me to listen to my mixes on my different monitors without having to adjust the levels on a mixer.

It has enough inputs for your average studio. I have a couple of audio interfaces, and I also get the occasional CD that I need to listen to for reference. Being able to switch to mono is also a great feature for checking phase issues with mixes. It has a talkback mic and a few other features that i don't typically use, but I can see where they may come in handy if it was in a situation where you had an actual control room.It's a solid metal unit with good quality buttons and knobs.I think it's a little overpriced, but in line with what I would expect to pay for a unit of this nature

Sometimes the best car you own isn't the new Cadillac, it's the Toyota that gets you to work everyday safely. The Mackie Big Knob is the Toyota.

It has become so much a part of my home studio that I don't notice it, and in the world of studio gear that's a great thing. It has all of the ins and outs I need to playback music from multiple sources to multiple sets of monitors. I'm not a master engineer, but to me it's sonically invisible. I like having two sets of headphones running concurrently as well. My studio doesn't have a recording booth, so I've never used the talkback functions, but I think it's really great to have for the future.

It's functional, it's clean, it's small, and it's reliable. What more could you really want?

I own the BIg Knob and use it everyday. I am not going to list the specs they are already plainly understood.

Lets talk about performance with ease.

For the beginner, this in not a mixer however a great tool to center stereo monitors. Switching from mono to stereo until the center is found. Switching between monitors quickly removes guess work. Very short learning curve.

The advanced will enjoy every control for sound direction is in one place. Recording in the control room by a touch of a button is awesome. Feed back or aux send to the daw. Easily switch between inputs to test and compare takes. Better than a mouse just press 2 button at the same time to compare inputs. (requires to play back devices). The same test with multiple monitors.

I am a retired musician, played guitar, keys and singer for 50+ years. Still work everyday in the studio.

I am glad to see that Mackie understands the needs of people who have home or small studios. You would think that DigiDesign would have included these simple functions on the Digi002, and you would think Mackie would have also put these functions on the Mackie Universal Control. But this piece now allows me to do the simple things I have so desperately need to do. Like "talk back", now I don't have to rig up any head phones or scream thru the walls. I simply love this piece, it is a perfect combo with my Digi002R.

The Mackie BIG KNOB is Great product. Go buy it if you are tired of moving cables around and waiting time and sometimes can affect creativity flow. I gave them a 9 cos any product can be improved somewhat. On this this, I dont know what improvement it needs. but I still give a 9. :)